Blaine Tessier was triumphant in the 16th annual One Club Wonder golf tournament held at the Mountain View Golf Club last Saturday.

Tessier's victory, which was fashioned with a respectable 84, ties him with the venerable Vic Istchenko as four-time champions in the prestigious event.

Istchenko finished in second place along with Dan Moore, with both shooting 88.

This was the second straight year Moore placed in the "kissing your sister” position.

Again, he masked his disappointment, saying he preferred not to have to don the dreaded yellow sweater which, reminiscent of the Masters green jacket, goes to the victor.

Tessier was a dominant force in the tournament from 2006 to 2009, when he won three championships.

He had not placed during the past two years and it was widely thought that he was a spent force whose game had deserted him.

Close observers, however, were not fooled, and had been predicting Tessier's return to form.

They noted the strict diet and training regimen he had been following in recent days and the consequent drastic drop in his handicap to one stroke.

Tessier, a thoughtful, reserved and respectful sort, said he took great pride in "having wiped this pitiful lot,” and that he looked forward to placing the championship trophy in a prominent place in his domicile where he, his son and his neighbours can gaze upon it each day until next year's tournament.

Ever the modicum of humility and restraint, he also claimed he would be wearing the yellow sweater to as many public events as possible to broadcast his "enormous victory”.

Wayne MacNicol took the greatly prized low net trop, thanks to his comfortably doctored handicap of 21.

He played with surgical precision, relying on the great hands for which he is so well-known in more than one venue.

His putting was precise as he nursed in 29 putts over the 18 holes.

This tied him for second in that art form with Derek Wirth and Jim Connell, but a distant second behind putter extraordinaire Kevin Flamand, who breezed through the greens with 25 putts.

It's worthy of mention that MacNicol is only the second player in tournament history to have achieved a net score equaling or bettering par for the course.

The other is an iconic figure, Matthew Sills, who maintains the distinction of having shot the round of the century with a net 67 in 2005.

The Mountain View Golf Course was in superb shape for the tournament courtesy of the efforts of Derek Wirth, the course superintendent.

Wirth, the 2010 winner of the low net championship, continues to hone his game and came in fourth overall with a 90 and a net score of 75.

With his being taciturn as always, it was difficult to read his reaction, but there were those who detected a bit of a smirk when it became apparent he had bettered the 92 shot by Jeff Wiggins, director of golf and head golf professional at Mountain View.

A matter of further note was that the tournament became an international event this year with the participation of Lee "Toogie” Hartson.

Hartson is a well-known visitor to Mountain View, travelling here from Skagway on a regular basis to polish his game.

Often referred to as the "Wisconsin Wonder”, he had the good grace to leave his "A” game at home and settled for 16th place in the field with a round of 98 and a net score of 80.

He explained to reporters that he understands Canadian sensitivity to American domination of sporting events and felt well-advised to lay off showing his real golf wares until later years.

This was the 16th annual One Club Wonder and, in the style of a pro-am event, featured a record 45 players with handicaps ranging from 0 to 30.

As its title suggests, participants are restricted to one club which must be used for every purpose – driving, iron shots, putting and, if necessary, as a bottle opener.

The tournament, which was first played on the back nine by seven players in 1996, has grown to the current 45 players playing the full 18 holes.

The gross and net scores have not changed markedly over that time with this year's average gross score of 103 and average net score of 86 being exactly equal to the averages for the past decade.

Organizers paid special thanks to the Mountain View Golf Course and all its employees for the co-operation and the good humour they exhibited throughout both the planning and the playing of the tournament.

So as not to protect the innocent, the complete results, showing gross and net scores, were:

Blaine Tessier 84(83)

Patrick Michael 105(81)

Dan Moore 88(78)

Jim Stephens 105(86)

Vic Istchenko 88(79)

Kevin Flamand 105(88)

Derek Wirth 90(75)

Doug Janzen 106(87)

Mike McInroy 91(76)

Matthew Sills 107(81)

Hugh Carruthers 91(78)

Paul Hunter 107(87)

Gareth Howells 91(81)

Michael Hyslop 108(85)

Dan King 92(82)

Ron Stanyer 109(84)

Jeff Wiggins 92(92)

Gary Hewitt 109(86)

Wayne MacNicol 93(72)

Terry Aschacher 109(88)

Barry Davidson 94(77)

Al Fozard 109(88)

Dick Eastmure 95(77)

Les Chapman 109(89)

Ken Taylor 95(84)

Clint Carpentier 110(98)

Michael Brooks 96(83)

Mark Stephens 111(86)

Jim Connell 96(84)

Wally Hidinger 112(87)

Lee Hartson 98(80)

Dave Griffiths 112(92)

Sheldon King 99(92)

Richard Zral 113(83)

Roy Slade 100(77)

Scott McCarthy 113(89)

Brian Love 101(84)

Arden Meyer 116(94)

Glenn Ford 101(86)

Rob Walker 120(95)

Garry Potter 103(84)

Steve Fraser 123(107)

Mark Pike 103(86)

Terry Bidniak 133(117)

Glen Slonski 104(94)

This special report filed directly from the Mountain View Golf Course.

By NAT STREMY

Special to the Star